U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Tuesday that it is investigating reports that a supervisor used government time to recruit workers for private sex swinger parties at his home.
An internal misconduct investigation is looking into the claims centered on workers in San Diego, ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack told NBC News in a statement.
It follows a report by the San Diego Union Tribune that an accusation of gross sexual misconduct was made in a complaint submitted to the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.
The newspaper said employees at the ICE Enforcement Removal Operations office in the city complained that they had been approached during work hours to participate in the parties held at the home of a supervisor in the office along with his wife, who is also an agent.
“The agency takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” Mack said in the statement. “The matter you reference has been referred to ICE Homeland Security Investigations Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) for further investigation. That inquiry is ongoing and, as such, we are unable to offer further comment at this time.”
The complaint, which has been seen by the newspaper, says the recruitment has been going on for more than a year, and alleges the practice is coercive of subordinate employees and an abuse of authority.
It said workers were approached about the parties by the supervisor, whose wife is also an employee. None of the reporting could be immediately verified by NBC News.
